Tascam 2488neo 24-Track Workstation

You're full of ideas; ideas that are bigger than just lyrics and a chord progression. You hear drums, three guitars, lush organs, maybe even a zither or two -- and no simple field recorder or 4-track is going to be enough to get your composition down. If you want to capture your biggest ideas before they flitter away back into the ether, never to be reclaimed, there's no tool more capable and efficient than the Tascam 2488neo 24-track Recording Workstation.

The History Behind the Tascam 2488neo

When Tascam introduced their first Portastudio in 1979, they jump-started the home recording revolution. Suddenly, every musician could commit complex musical ideas to tape, layering multiple parts all by themselves. It put a power once reserved for select few artists into the hands of the masses. Capable of producing far more than just demo recordings, the Tascam 2488neo represents the sophisticated evolution of the Portastudio, giving you all the tools you'll need to go from moment of inspiration to holding that finished CD in your hand. Yet this flagship Portastudio is still as simple to operate as the first cassette-based machines.

24 Tracks Let You Keep Your Options Open

Don't let track limitations keep you from doubling guitars, stereo-tracking piano or dubbing four more vocal harmonies to your songs. With 4-, 8- or even 16-track machines, you'd often find yourself having to bounce what's already been recorded to a stereo sub-mix to make room for more overdubs. Not only does this add time to the recording process, it also commits you to a mix before you've tracked an entire song, and as any engineer knows, each new element can alter the overall sonic balance of an entire project. With the Tascam 2488neo, you'll be able to keep more tracks separate when going into your final mix -- so feel free to add those extra cellos, accordions, and Tibetan singing bowls. Because the 2488 is a digital recorder, an additional 256 virtual tracks are available for recording multiple takes on each track. No longer do you have to commit to a "take it or trash it" decision after every take like you did on your old cassette recorder. And don't worry about running out of storage; the Tascam 2488neo has an 80 GB internal hard drive. The huge track count, massive storage memory, and convenience of digital let you concentrate on the performance you're recording, not the logistics of the recording process.

Digital Effects And Editing

Recording on a digital Portastudio has other benefits as well. Thanks to its comprehensive editing tools and effects, the 2488neo lets you sculpt, shape and rearrange your audio with the ease only the digital realm can afford. Audio editing is clear and simple on the 2488's large, backlit LCD screen. View waveforms the same way you would on dedicated computer audio editing software, and splice, cut, copy and delete selections quickly with the top-mounted cursor buttons, marking controls, and jog wheel. If the edit functions on the Tascam 2488neo are like its toolbox, the digital effects are like an artist's paint and paintbrush collection. High-resolution ambient effects like reverb, delay and chorus add depth and color to tracks, while indispensable utilities like panning, compression and EQ help to highlight and arrange select elements within your mix-composition. Multiple effects can be applied to individual tracks for precision sound-sculpting.

Beyond Demos: Mastering And Burning CDs

Every aspect of production, right through the final steps, is available with the Tascam 2488neo. No production is ready for duplication or dissemination without first going through the mastering process. The 2488neo provides a suite of mastering tools, including a multi-band stereo compressor/limiter and mastering EQ that will help bring your final mix into sharp focus. Once you have your stereo master track, finish the production process by burning a CD master using the 2488's built-in optical drive. Not ready to commit to CD quite yet? Simply offload your tracks via USB 2.0 for further tweaking on a digital audio workstation.

Advantages Over Computer-Based Recording

While many musicians praise the virtues of computer-based recording solutions, the process of actually setting up and tracking onto your PC or Mac is fraught with obstacles. Is your interface compatible with your operating system? Is your RAM sufficient for your target track count? Is your motherboard optimized for your recording software? Have you partitioned your hard drive, calibrated your input level, organized your project folders, and suppressed any programs that might be running in the background? Who needs the hassle when the Tascam 2488neo is ready to record straight out of the box? While studio owners will pony up thousands of dollars for a computer recording workstation that's reliably stable, Tascam's proven and perfectly matched hardware and operating system are virtually free of latency, processing lag, and crashes, and for a fraction of the price. When you consider all the money you'd have to spend on plugins, recording software, outboard processors. and interfaces to get the same functionality that the Tascam 2488neo offers, there's just no comparison.

For well under a thousand dollars, the Tascam 2488neo is a complete music production solution. Full-band tracking, mixing and mastering are all at your command, and all in 44.1 kHz/24-bit resolution. For the D.I.Y. musician with the talent, the songs, and the will, the Tascam 2488neo is the final piece that will transform you into a true recording artist.

Tascam 2488neo 24-Track Workstation

The 2488neo is Tascam's latest take on its 24-track, 24-bit recorder. Sporting eight mic inputs, it's one of the few recorders able to record and mix a full band. A new batch of mastering effects joins the reverb, amp simulation, compression and EQ processing to create and burn finished-sounding CDs in a stand-alone unit. With Tascam's simple interface, great-sounding preamps and chart-ready effects the 2488neo is the ultimate 24-track production machine.

Features

- New mastering effects include multiband compression, EQ and noise shaping for pro-sounding CD mixes
- 3-band EQ on 24 channels, 8-inputs and stereo bus with high and low sweepable shelving bands and full parametric mid band
- Three aux sends on all channels except the effects return
- Loop effect provides reverb, delay, chorus and more on an aux send and return
- Assignable Guitar multi-effects processor for overdrive, distortion, chorus, delay, flange and more
- Up to eight assignable dynamics processors for compression during recording or mixdown
- Dedicated Stereo Compressor on the stereo output

zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
"TASCAM 2488 Makes A Great Sounding Demo Fast And Easy"

Sound:
Workstation sounds great. plenty of effects to choose from. Regardless of the effects, the sound quality is just as good to me as an expensive pro tools set-up. There is a wide range of eq options(which is one of my favorite features), so if you've got the right mics there is no way this little bit of goodness can do you wrong, live or recorded
Feature:
no accessories. Its all there. It is easy to find my way around the whole workstation
Ease of Use:
Easy. If you got the right mics and instruments nothings stopping. Manual is to the point.
Quality:
It is not like the solid mixing board with a cover the hooks over the top of it. But does have a case if you transport it a lot. Nothing feels like it would break, but I would definitely treat it with respect.
Value:
Great price for what you get.
Manufacturer Support:
not needed repairs at all.
The Wow Factor:
Wanted it when I saw it. It makes a cd right there, and my computers kept crashing.
Overall:
The Workstation is great. The only way I will stop using it is if I get the money or get a bigger drumset and need the inputs.

Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
"I am always a little skeptical of reviews that I read on the net b/c they may have bias either way. So this review is coming fro"

Sound:
I have been recording with a few big name computer based systems for about 10 years. In that time, I was always frustrated that the sound of what I was reording was better than the playback of what I recorded. The 2488neo changed that in a few days of use. This machine is very, and I mean very expressive compared to computer based firewire recording. I mean night and day...and I used Presonus Firepod/FP10 with Cubase. No comparison. This machine sounds way better!
Feature:
No accessories...but you don't need them, so this is irrelevant questions.
Ease of Use:
I read many reviews where people are complaining about the difficulty of use and the thick manual. A couple of words. First there is always a learning curve with any platform regardless of features. Second, people who say this is hard to use are probably in over their heads. This box is not that difficult and with a little patience, you'll be turning out music.
Quality:
Some have complained about the plastic. Honestly that has no effect on this box. It is built well... If you need to transport, you would want to get a nice hardshell case, but as with any electronic equipment, you need to use common sense. You wouldn't wrap your favorite guitar or keyboard in a plastic bag and throw it in the back of your pickup. But as far as using it on the road.. it would hold up.
Value:
I received a great deal from zZounds and they are the best price overall on the net/retail. I was very happy with the presentation when it arrived - packed properly!
Manufacturer Support:
I have purchased Tascam equipment in the past (TMD-1000 digital mixer). Everything that Tascam makes is top shelf. I have never been dissatisfied with their presentation. The company has been in the industry for a long time... but more than that, they understand quality and targeted use. I've had the 2488 neo for about a week and I am in love with this machine!
The Wow Factor:
Sex appeal of product? Really? If that is a relevant reason to buy it, then good for you, but I think you want performance... no you're talking appeal. As far as the layout, I think the machine is layed out like a pro audio desk. But as I pointed out in my earlier statements, the 2488 neo is made by Tascam... if you have purchased from them before like I did... you know they don't make garbage. I feel that it has already (within one week) turned my musical ear back on! This box will replace my firewire interfaces and computer software..Why? there is no comparison in sound. This box reproduces the harmonics you hear from the intruments authentically! What you hear live, is what you get back on the recording - Genius!
Overall:
I expect that I will be using this machine for as long as it take for me to wear it out to buy Tascam again! Again, I used firewire interfaces (2x) to my computer using Cubase SX. I purchased so much outbound gear to try to make my recordings sound more like the analog days. Well, I can tell you that if your recording cannot reproduce the dry track with clarity and authenticity to the recording source, there is no way to eek out a good sound. This machine does that without the hours of tweeking required to make firewire based recording sound half as good.
In one week I turned out the best recording I have created in 9 years.. I wish I dod this sooner. If you are in the same place, don't think twice. This box will blow you away!

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A temporary customer reference number is assigned to each customer only while they are shopping on zZounds.com. If you call our customer service department for assistance, this number makes it easier for us to answer any questions you have about products, services or purchases.

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